Lucio
Fulci is one of the names most synonymous with Italian Horror. Many
regard Fulci, alongside Herschell Gordon Lewis, as one of the genre's
legendary "godfathers of gore"; he was behind the creation of
such grotesque masterpieces as City of the Living Dead and the
infamous Zombi 2. However, there is a different side of Fulci
that many of his gorehound fans are not aware of; he also managed to
establish himself as a master of suspense. Before he got around to
flashier, more boisterous fare, Fulci co-wrote and directed a few
films in the giallo subgenre including such titles as Don't
Torture a Duckling and Lizard in a Woman's Skin. One of
the projects under his belt is a little film from 1977 titled Seven
Notes in Black,released in the U.S. as The Psychic.
Many might know this film only for the infamous theme quoted by
Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill, Volume 1, but this film is
more than just a seven-note chime.

Virginia
(Jennifer O'Neill) has had a number of psychic visions ever since
the day, almost twenty years ago, when she "saw" her mother
committing suicide. On a morning drive through the countryside, a
terrifying series of images enters her head; recounting them for a
close friend, a parapsychologist named Luca (Marc Porel), she becomes
convinced that she has been a supernatural witness to a gruesome
murder. While her husband Francesco (Gianni Garko) is off on
business, Virginia is seeing to the restoration of an old house
that's been in his family for years; her suspicions are aroused
when she enters the house and stumbles on what may be the scene of
the crime itself.

What
makes The Psychic such a unique film is its atmosphere. This
is neither your typical giallo nor your typical Lucio Fulci
movie. Unlike Bava or Argento, who are well known for the array of
eye-catching color in their films, Fulci has painted a canvas of grim
darkness; the director went for a stripped-down, no-B.S. aesthetic in
making The Psychic. You have none of the flashy, eye-gouging
gore effects of Zombi 2, except for a brief pre-credits
sequence; here the horror is more cerebral than visceral. Fulci
doesn't find it necessary to throw blood and entrails all over the
place in this film, and so his genius for nauseating effects is
sublimated into suspense. The film's most terror-inspiring moments
are not the scenes of violence, but the disconnected, surreal images
of Virginia's vision, relentlessly repeating themselves in her (and
the viewer's) mind's eye. A room decorated in blood-red satin, a
letter hidden under a sculpture, a broken mirror, a cigarette
smoldering in an ashtray, footsteps on an unfamiliar stairway, a
music box (or something like it) repeating a seven-note motif in
complete darkness... even the images that do not directly suggest
violence seem to contain a subtle threat.

And
where most giallo films add extravagant staging, beautiful
women and carefully disguised killers, Fulci breaks the mold again,
most notably with his heroine. While Jennifer O'Neill is the
definition of a beautiful woman, her Virginia is not the typical
giallo helpless-victim-of-circumstance. Sure, she has a
vulnerable side, but she is bright, intelligent, and fully aware that
she is treading in dangerous waters; she also turns amateur detective
with more gusto than some other giallo protagonists -- twenty
minutes into the film, we find her hacking away at a wall with a
pickaxe, searching for a body that she is convinced is buried there.

Unlike
its predecessors, there is no classy, sly psycho killer in this film,
donning a trenchcoat and black leather gloves, stacking up the
bodies. Fulci has not created a slasher film (the sort of thing one
might reasonably expect from him), but a detective story with all the
intricacy of a jigsaw puzzle. Every detail revealed is vital to the
story; the most satisfying -- and horrific -- moments of the film
come when those details are connected together. Throughout the film,
the evidence seems to indicate that whatever Virginia saw may not be
what she thought she saw; practically every clue available to her
turns out to mean something other than its initial interpretation.
During the final third of the movie, each of the clues slowly locks
into place in the real world, the editing slyly revealing the context
of each fragmentary image. The tension mounts to an almost unbearable
level, and the final ten minutes that cap it off are among the most
nerve-wracking in any giallo.

Of
course this exhilarating visual concoction could not be complete
without mentioning the music that brings this film to life. Fabio
Frizzi is known for the eerie and hypnotic scores he created for
Zombi 2, City of the Living Dead and The Beyond.
Frizzi's collaboration with Franco Bixio and Vince Tempera on the
score for The Psychic is nothing short of musical perfection.
Their composition is the backbone of the film's suspenseful set
pieces. The seven-note loop that materializes periodically is one of
the most chilling sounds to grace the ears of the listener since
Bernard Herrman's infamous musical sting in Psycho.

The
Psychic is a superb thriller, worthy of standing beside such
classics as Deep Red and Blood and Black Lace. It may
even be argued that Lucio Fulci's skill at generating tension, not
notable elsewhere, is brought front and center in his gialli;
in retrospect, one can understand why some have accused Fulci of
using gore as a crutch. Not so in this case. Those who are interested
in nail-biting suspense will find much to enjoy here.

Comments

Terrific review, Lindsey! I've always thought Fulci was more than just a gore director. I've seen "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Lizard in a Woman's Skin", and was impressed by the director's subtle flair. I've never seen "The Psychic", but will have to look for it. I'm also a Jennifer O'Neill fan and can watch pretty much anything she's been in. Very underrated actress.

Thank you Kevin! It saddens me that Fulci decided to go down the path of shocking material. I mean I loved Zombi 2, City of the Living Dead and The Beyond but sometimes excessive gore can be a major turn off.

I still have yet to Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling.

I do agree that Jennifer O'Neill is a highly underrated actress. The only other film I have seen her in was Scanners. Loved her performance in both.

Lindsey, I think I have both Don't Torture a Duckling and Lizard in a Woman's Skin at home... well, usually at home. *sigh* Stupid flooded apartment. Anyway, we could do a Fulci double-feature some time. I'm not a fan of Lizard, but it'll be fun to debate.

Very sweet review, Lindsey! I've always been interested in Fluci's older work. It certainly sounds fascinating to look back at his earlier films before they were dripping with grue and viscera. Not that there's anything wrong with that though... By the way, I don't know if you've noticed, but it appears your review is the 666th for this site. I think Fulci would be proud!